Rain
by KoraSonata
Summary: Kara is afraid of thunder, and when Supergirl gets caught in a thunderstorm during one of her late night patrols; she panics and hides in the first building she happens to see: L-Corp.


Lena had always loved the rain. The smell of the freshly cleansed earth, the soft steady rhythm of water droplets against the window pane. Curling up on the porch with an oversized sweater, a hot chocolate, and a good book; as the gentle rhythm of the rain lulled her into a sense of calm, security. She loved watching the rain. She was particularly fond of thunderstorms.

She remembered as a child, Lex sneaking into her room in the middle of the night to wake her; in the event of a storm. The two would sit at her bedroom window; whispering excitedly so as not to wake Lillian, and simply watch the lightning dance across the sky, just beyond the realm of their oversized-backyard.

Those were much simpler times, before her beloved brother had descended into madness. Before he had tried to kill her. Looking back, it was so hard to see sometimes just how he had become like this. How her big brother; that same little boy who wore dorky Batman pyjamas to bed every night when he was 7, was the same person that had hired a hitmen to kill her only a few months ago. Things had changed. They had grown up; and though her brother had since been incarcerated, she could never quite give up her love of watching the rain.

A soft rumble could be heard somewhere off in the distance. Heavy rain continued to fall from the sky, as the water droplets bounced harmlessly off the glass walls of the L-Corp building. Lena looked up briefly when the power began to flicker, but it held out.

It rarely rained here. National City had garnered somewhat of a reputation for its constant sunshine; and she supposed that was one of the reasons Supergirl must love it here. The prolonged exposure to Earths yellow sun would charge her Kryptonian cells, and leave her feeling refreshed all the time. She wondered if that was how Kara always managed to be in her constant state of Sunny-Danvers bubbly cheer. Yes, rain was rare; but that didn't mean they were immune to the occasional spell such as this.

She glanced at the clock hanging on her wall, from where she sat at her office desk. She had sent the remainder of her employees home over an hour ago. It was late, but that was nothing new. She always worked late.

The first real flash of lightning illuminated the sky outside, and she waited in anticipation for the inevitable crack of thunder that was sure to follow.

 ** _CRASH!!_**

3 things happened in sequence.

One: There was a crash of lightning, knocking out the power and shrouding the room in complete darkness.

Two: There was a loud thud from across the room; that sounded kin to that of a door being slammed shut, and an accompanying gust of wind; as if someone had suddenly opened a window.

And three: Something was touching her.

Or more like had plowed into her, as the force of the impact had almost knocked her over. There was now a noticeable weight pressed firmly against her back. Something had wrapped itself securely around her midsection, and then again around her neck; squeezing tightly with a vice like grip. There was something pressed into the crook of her neck that felt cold and wet, and was accompanied by an inescapable dripping sound that echoed throughout the room. She felt a sudden chill.

Knowing who she was, she automatically assumed the worst. This wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to kill her; or even the second or sixth. The eminent attempts on her life had become predictable; to the point she was no longer surprised when hitmen showed up at her door. It would almost be easier to start scheduling her Daily Death Threats into her day planner just to save time. She was sure she would have really appreciated it after her 10:00 meeting at _Edge Industries_ last Tuesday.

No, the attempts on her life were nothing new. The big question was: _What was it this time?_

Alien? That was a possibility. It was no secret that she was the sister of the worlds most notorious alien hater; and since President Marsdin invoked her Alien Amnesty act, there was certainly no shortage of alien immigrants in the country. Not to mention the Daxamites in particular; who held a hearty grudge against her for her recent construction of the lead bomb that drove away Rhea's invasion. But she was fairly certain the atmosphere in its present lead-infested state would ward off all potential Daxamite threats; knowing the severity of the lead allergy found in their kind. That said, that ruled out only one of the several hundred species of Aliens living in National City alone.

Hitmen? It certainly wouldn't be the first time Lex; or her mother for that matter, had sent a hitmen after her. Nor the first time they had attacked her in this very office. Although Lillian's usually came with strict instructions of "capture and contain only"; but that never seemed to stop their incompetence from almost accidentally killing her anyway. You'd think after so many kidnapping attempts, Lillian would at least start investing in some more competent goons. Lex was at least straight to the point. Lex just wanted her dead. Which meant they could just skip all the unpleasantries of dealing with inadequate henchmen, and get straight to killing her. It was a lot simpler; and frankly, a lot less time consuming.

Every-day civilians? Also probable. First Lex, then Lillian. Their reputation for murderous insanity made it so that the Luthor's weren't exactly on good terms with the general public. She supposed Superman's dislike of her brother didn't exactly help her cause any; despite Lena's best efforts to steer the Luthor family company from its murderous direction.

There was also the _**How**_ to consider about the whole situation. _How was she going to go out today?_

Lex had certainly always been fond of his explosives. The sabotaged oscillator explosion on _The Venture_ spacecraft, and the near destruction of her beloved L-Corp, to name a few.

Lillian had always been partial to her Alien Tech; supplying ready buyers with her wide array of Alien weaponry. Guns, blasters, the like.

Every-day civilians might have ordinary hand guns or knives. Nothing fancy, but no less effective.

There was also the aliens to consider. Their whole body could be used as a weapon. Spikes, poison sacks, acid spit. Really, the possibilities were endless. Even if Superman so desired, he could use his super strength to crush her with his bare hands.

The Luthor's were definitely not short on enemies; and Lena was in the process of mentally preparing herself to go down reigning fists of fury; because she'll be damned if a Luthor ever went down without a fight, but that was when the power decided to come back on.

Glancing downwards, she caught a flash of red and blue; now being able to identify the object wrapped around her midsection as a pair of bright, red leather boots. The mass wrapped around her neck identifying as a pair of arms clad in a skin tight blue material. She caught a flash of blonde hair from the corner of her eye, but it was darker than usual; a side effect of the rainwater. A sigh immediately escaped her lips, as she realized she was in no real danger.

"Supergirl. Out for one of your late night patrols?" She greeted calmly, allowing the tension to ease from her shoulders; suddenly much more relaxed than she had been 30 seconds ago.

There was the Girl of Steel; in all her Super glory, shivering like a frightened child; dripping wet and ice cold, and clutching the Luthor impossibly close, as if her very life depended on it. Supergirl didn't respond.

"Kara? Is everything alright?" She tried again; now concerned, noticing the lack of her usual Sunny-Danvers pep. Supergirl didn't answer. Her only response was to nuzzle her nose into dark locks of hair, and to tighten her hold around the Luthor's neck. Lena strained under the pressure.

"Kara, love. As amazing as I find your super strength, not all of us have impenetrable skin." She reaches her left hand upwards calmly; placing it lightly over the arm currently wrapped around her neck.

"S-sorry." Supergirl croaked meekly, loosening her grip a fraction of a bit, yet still not letting go entirely; realizing she may have been holding on a bit too tightly.

"Kara?? What's wrong??" She brought her other hand up to rest on Supergirl's arm, stroking comforting circles with her thumb. There was a flash of lightning from outside, and Kara immediately tensed; stared out the window in terrified anticipation. Lena regarded her silently; following her gaze, and then glancing back at the Kryptonian.

"Are you...afraid of thunder?"

 ** _CRASH!!_**

 ** _SWOOSH!!_**

She was released in an instant; her hair billowing out behind her at the sudden gust of wind left in the wake of Supergirl's super speed. The hero in question having taken off into the air like a startled cat; crashing not-so-gracefully through the air vent in her ceiling, and now presumably hiding in the ventilation system.

Lena watched as crumpled chunks of plaster fell from above; crumbling around the now-slightly-bigger air vent hole in her ceiling. The remains of the metal grate having previously covered said hole, coming crashing to the floor in several battered pieces of bent metal.

Lena cautiously stood from her desk, but remained where she was, fearful of the still falling debris raining down in the middle of her office.

"Kara?? Are you alright??" She called cautiously. Another chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling and hit the floor with a prominent crack, but Supergirl said nothing.

"Kara, please come out. Come talk to me. You're alright, see??" She tried again. She waited several seconds before she saw Supergirl poke her head out slowly; her hair cascading upside down, and stopping short so that only her eyes and nose were visible. She glanced down at Lena.

"Please come out??" She said again, trying to coax the Girl of Steel out of her hiding place. If only the public could see her now. A Luthor consoling a Super. It was sure to make the front page headlines.

Supergirl glanced down at the Luthor; peeking her head out a little further, before glancing towards the glass windows surrounding the exterior of the building.

"...No."

 ** _SWOOSH!!_**

And she was gone. Back off into hiding inside her ventilation shaft. Lena sighed.

There was another flash of lightning from outside, and Lena glanced worriedly between the glass windows and the hole in her ceiling.

"Kara, I know you're scared, but hiding in the ventilation system won't help. The sound will just bounce off the walls, creating an echo effect, and it'll be much louder in-"

 ** _CRASH!!_**

 ** _SWOOSH!!_**

There was another gust of wind, followed by the loud thud of her closet door suddenly slamming shut from across the room; and then everything was silent again.

Lena reached into the top drawer of her desk, pulling out something small and stuffing it into the pocket of her blazer, before making her way across the room. She stopped just outside the closet door, placing a hand delicately on the handle.

"Kara?" She said softly, waiting for a response. There was a soft whimper from the other side of the door. Slowly and quietly, the Luthor slid the closet door open.

Kara was sitting in the corner with her knees tucked into her chest; eyes squinted shut and hands covering over her ears, as her arms framed protectively around her face.

The Luthor wordlessly crouched to the floor; shifting so as to be closer to The Girl of Steel, and reaching an arm out to gently brush her fingertips against the Kryptonian's wrist. Kara opened her eyes briefly at the contact, but didn't move away. Lena tried to smile encouragingly, and she saw Supergirl take a deep breath; noticeably trying to calm herself, but it didn't really work and she squinted her eyes shut again.

It was then that Lena reached into the pocket of her blazer; pulling out a single ear piece and flipping a small switch on the side. A tiny blue light began to flash, and she reached forward once again; gently shifting Kara's one hand to the side, and fastening the comm to her ear.

The change was almost instantaneous. Supergirl's eyes flashed open and she removed her hands from her ears tentatively; sitting completely still and pointedly staring at a single spot on the wall, as if in deep concentration.

"Kara." The Girl of Steel whipped her head around to look at the Luthor. Lena smiled.

"You won't be able to hear anything." She said; guessing the look of concentration on Supergirl's face meant she had been futilely trying to use her Super Hearing. "The ear piece blocks out all other sound. You won't be able to hear the thunder anymore." She continued.

Supergirl gingerly raises a hand to her ear, touching the comm with her fingertips. "What is this thing?" She asked, confused.

"My latest project." Lena beamed proudly. "I had this one specially designed for the lab to block out all other sounds, while still being able to hear voices in the event of something going wrong."

Kara tested this theory by trying to strain her accute hearing; but the only thing she had picked up had been the sound of Lena's voice, just as she'd said. She lightly traced the ear piece with her finger. "...That's...that's incredible."

"Yes, well-" Lena stood, smoothing out the crinkles in her dark pencil skirt and readjusting her white blouse. "That's just the prototype. The final product is down in my lab; and I expect it will be a lot more comfortable than the one you're wearing. You probably feel off balance, suddenly having such restricted hearing." She offered her a hand. "Coffee?"

Supergirl stared at her outstretched hand before taking it and allowing the Luthor to pull her to her feet. Lena had been right. She did feel off balance, and she wobbled a little as she stood; the loss of one of her primary senses throwing her whole equilibrium out of whack.

Kara glanced sheepishly at the pile of plaster littering the floor as they passed; making a mental note to fix it for her later, but Lena simply walked past as if completely un-phased by the mess. Doing her best to steady the wobbling Kryptonian, she lead them towards the elevator, and pressed the button for the basement floor.

Kara continued to try and strain her hearing; trying to pick up on anything. The hum of the lights, the clack of the elevator, the tapping of her fingers at her side. But there was nothing. Only silence.

"So, how exactly do these things work?" She asked, curious as to how the simple device was so effective against her Super Hearing, as the elevator doors opened and they stepped outside.

"It's pretty much just an extension of Active Noise Control." Lena shrugged, walking up to a small table set off to the side; opening the top of the coffee pot currently sitting there, and adding the dark coffee grounds to the filter from the tin beside it. "Basically, a noise is transmitted, which has sound waves at the same amplitude but with an inverted phase; which causes destructive interference, and–"

"–and the noise is cancelled out." Kara interjects. "Why didn't I think of that? With the right modifications, it could block out pretty much any sound you wanted." Abandoning the coffee table for the present, Lena began to cross the room; going up to one of the several pieces of machinery and pressing one of the buttons on the keypad.

"Exactly. The technology has existed for years, but it's never been 100% accurate. I've improved it by augmenting the sound wave amplitude in the microphone; creating a cleaner reading. The plan is to eventually completely restrict any and all outside noise without diminishing the audio you want to hear." Lena explained.

"It's like the worlds most high tech pair of sound proof headphones." Kara mused in awe. Lena laughed.

"I suppose, yes. But we plan on taking it a step further. We've developed a method of further refining the sound selection, so that it may cancel out only specific sounds while leaving others untouched. Like this." She typed in a sort of code on her keypad in a flurry of fingers, throwing The Girl of Steel a lopsided smirk as she pressed the final button dramatically. A string of blue lights began to flash all around the perimeter of the room, where tiny speakers had been strategically placed around the border; and Lena retrieved the prototype comm from her ear.

Slowly, her hearing began to return, and she sighed as her ears once again adjusted to the familiar sounds. There was the pitter-patter of the rain against the small window on the far wall near the ceiling; where she could see the line where the room began to dip underground. The hum of the overhead lights as they flickered above, the whir of the motor inside the machine they were currently standing next to. Lena's strong pulse of a heartbeat as it pumped the blood through her veins; and the steady rhythm of her breaths, as she drew the air into her lungs.

"That's better isn't it? I've set the frequency so that the only sound it will block out is thunder while letting you hear everything else as normal." She smiled widely. "Pretty cool right?"

"It's amazing." Supergirl stated, as she absentmindedly glanced around the lab. The Luthor walked back towards the coffee table; pulling 2 mugs from the cupboard above it, and placing them on the hard surface.

"It's not quite market ready yet." She added, pouring the coffee into each mug. "Sugar?" She paused, holding up one of the mugs.

"Two please." The Luthor poured two scoops of sugar into the mug.

"But we're definitely close." She continued. "It's in the final stages of completion." She opened a miniature fridge to the left of the table, pulling out a small jug of cream and holding it up for Kara to see; raising an eyebrow in askance. Kara nodded.

"With the right modifications, it could block out any sound you wanted, even individual voices." She poured a small amount of cream into the same mug that had received the sugar, before placing it back in the fridge; leaving the other mug untouched. She handed the first mug to Kara, before reaching backwards and grabbing her own; black, coffee.

Kara smirked. "I could think of someone for you to test that theory on." She suggested, smiling mischievously over the top of her mug as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Oh?" Lena raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her own coffee.

Kara grinned. "Hmm, maybe a Mr. Morgan Edge?" Lena groaned loudly. Kara giggled.

"Ugh. I hate that walking personification of white male privilege. If I never have to hear his stubborn sexist voice again, it'll be too soon."

"Yes, well." Kara gestured to the machine with both of her hands, a pointed looking smile on her face. Lena rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself.

"Ugh, don't tempt me." Kara smiled.

"You know, as awesome as I think your device is, I still think I would make a super epic pair of sound proof headphones."

Lena smiled. "Yes, well I might just have to make you a pair. I think my ventilation system would really appreciate it." She smiled impishly. Kara blushed. "Who knew Supergirl was afraid of thunder?"

"Everyone's afraid of something. Being a superhero doesn't exempt me from that." She stated. "Besides, I seem to recall a certain Luthor having an irrational fear of flying." Kara smirked.

"That may be because the last few times I was in the air, someone tried to kill me. Statistically speaking, flying is supposedly the safest way to travel; but those odds don't tend to apply when half the city wants you dead." Kara looked at her thoughtfully.

"It reminds me of Krypton." She said suddenly. Lena looked over at her. "The thunder." She clarified. "It reminds me of my final moments on Krypton." She continued at Lena's questioning look. "Before my parents put me in that pod, the planet was dying. Everything was starting to collapse in on itself, and my last memory of Krypton was of my planet exploding." She said sadly. "Not just seeing it, but hearing it. It was so loud. Almost deafening. Can you imagine the sound of an entire planet just...dying?" She began to fiddle with her coffee mug; twisting it around in her hands.

"I didn't have powers on my planet, so it obviously took me a while to adjust when I got here. I remember completely trashing my room during my first thunderstorm. The sound was unbearable." She paused. "Eliza always insisted that my powers were this incredible gift; something to be thankful for. But I remember praying to Rao to take them away. I thought them as a curse." She trailed off.

Lena looked at her intensely. "How did you get through it?" She questioned earnestly.

"Alex." Kara responded without thought. "She was always there to help me get through it. Even when we didn't always get along. She was always there for every thunderstorm." She smiled at the thought of her sister. "I never did get over it, but my sister was always there to help. But she was away on business, and I was out for a late night patrol, and I wasn't anywhere near the DEO, and then I heard the thunder, and I panicked and flew into the first building I saw, which happened to be _L-Corp_ , and-"

"Kara." Lena said firmly, effectively stopping her rambling, as she reached an arm forward; taking hold of Kara's hand in her own. "It's ok." She gave a reassuring squeeze, offering a soft smile towards the Kryptonian.

Kara gazed back at her, offering an appreciative squeeze in return. She smiled.

"Thank you."

 ** _BONUS_**

When Kara came into work a week later, she found a simple, yet elegant looking, white cardboard box sitting atop her desk; next to her favourite pot of bright yellow forsythias. The box itself was modest and plain; nothing too out of the ordinary, and small enough that she could hold it in one hand. Sitting neatly atop the lid was a simple slip of white card-stock, housing a single message written in an impeccable cursive. She delicately plucked the card from the top of the box; allowing her eyes to roam over the black loops of the elegant lettering.

 _For a rainy day._

She glanced down at the box innocently sitting atop her desk; perfect and pristine, and waiting patiently to be opened. Placing the card down on the surface beside it, she curiously reached forward; gently lifting the lid to view the contents inside.

Inside she found a simple pair of black earbuds, sitting artfully arranged atop a black velvet cushion placed at the bottom of the box. Adorning each backing was a button, disguised as decorative bright green gems; probably in an effort to make them look like 2 tiny kryptonite stones. She found a sort of humour in it.

She took the object in her hands; pushing the buttons on the back, before placing the buds in her ears. She plugged the cord into her phone; selecting her favourite NSYC song from her playlist for her little demonstration, before pressing play.

Her smile lit up her whole face when she realized she couldn't hear anything, except the music filtering through the headphones.

Lena had been sitting quietly at her desk; staring intently at her laptop screen, as she scrolled through her list of meetings she didn't want to attend that day. She was just about to scroll down the page, when she was suddenly distracted by a large **_SWOOSH_** , as a gust of wind rattled the papers strewn about her desk. She flushed in surprise when she felt the briefest peck of something soft against her left cheek, and then everything was still.

There was no one present when she looked around; but glancing down at her desk, she found a small bouquet of yellow daisy's where there had been none before. Beside the flowers, laying flat on the table, was a small strip of paper acting as a card; with words written in what looked like a relatively rushed, messy scroll.

 _Thank you!!_

She stared at the card, slowly reaching a hand upwards to gently touch her left cheek; where there was now a prominent, bright pink lipstick stain. She smiled.


End file.
